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Morley NJ. Vertebrates as uninfected disseminators of helminth eggs and larvae. ADVANCES IN PARASITOLOGY 2022; 115:45-170. [PMID: 35249663 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apar.2021.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The passive dispersal of non-mobile organisms by vertebrates (zoochory) is a common mechanism used to explain their often widespread distribution. Transport occurs either internally via the vertebrate digestive tract (endozoochory), or externally be adhering to skin, feathers or fur (ectozoochory), and its success is due to both physiological and ecological factors associated with the disseminating 'hosting' animal. Helminth eggs and larvae are generally non-mobile stages that are largely dependent on the movement of another animal, typically a host, for geographical dissemination. Studies on the zoochory of helminths by vertebrates are extensive and particularly long-standing, stretching back to the 19th century, although this literature is often overlooked when considering the biogeography of parasites. This review assesses the potential of helminths to be dispersed passively by zoochory examining evidence from both laboratory and field studies. The physiological dynamics of the vertebrate intestines and skin surface as hostile environments, as well as the characteristics of eggs and larvae which may facilitate successful transport are evaluated. The various mechanisms of helminth endo- and ectozoochory are presented and the likelihood of long-distance dispersal determined. It is concluded that zoochory is a potentially important means of disseminating parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neil J Morley
- School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey, United Kingdom.
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Alberson NR, Rosser TG, King DT, Woodyard ET, Khoo LH, Baumgartner WA, Wise DJ, Pote LM, Cunningham FL, Griffin MJ. EXPERIMENTAL ELUCIDATION OF THE LIFE CYCLE OF DREPANOCEPHALUS SPATHANS (DIGENEA: ECHINOSTOMATIDAE) WITH NOTES ON THE MORPHOLOGICAL PLASTICITY OF D. SPATHANS IN THE UNITED STATES. J Parasitol 2022; 108:141-158. [PMID: 35353188 DOI: 10.1645/19-157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The echinostomatid Drepanocephalus spathans (syn. Drepanocephalus auritus) parasitizes the double-crested cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus. In North America, the marsh rams-horn snail Planorbella trivolvis and ghost rams-horn snail Biomphalaria havanensis serve as snail intermediate hosts, both of which inhabit catfish aquaculture ponds in the southeastern United States. Studies have demonstrated D. spathans exposure can be lethal to juvenile channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus. Two studies were undertaken to elucidate the life cycle of D. spathans to establish a developmental time line. In both studies, D. spathans cercariae collected from naturally infected P. trivolvis individuals were used to infect channel catfish fingerlings, which were then fed to double-crested cormorants (DCCOs) that had been pharmaceutically dewormed. In study 1, laboratory-reared P. trivolvis and B. havanensis individuals were placed in aviary ponds with experimentally infected DCCO and examined bi-weekly for release of cercariae. Trematode eggs were observed in the feces of exposed birds 3 days post-infection. Birds were sacrificed 18 days post-exposure (dpe), and gravid adults morphologically and molecularly consistent with D. spathans were recovered. Snails from the aviary pond were observed shedding D. spathans cercariae 18-54 dpe. In study 2, trematode eggs were observed in the feces of exposed DCCOs beginning 8 dpe. Once eggs were observed, birds were allowed to defecate into clean tanks containing naïve laboratory-reared P. trivolvis individuals. Additionally, eggs from experimental DCCO feces were recovered by sedimentation and placed in an aquarium housing laboratory-reared P. trivolvis individuals. Birds in study 2 were sacrificed after 60 days, and gravid D. spathans specimens were recovered. Snails from the experimental DCCO tanks shed D. spathans cercariae 89-97 dpe. Lastly, trematode eggs were isolated and observed for the hatching of miracidia, which emerged on average after 16 days at ambient temperatures. No D. spathans adults were observed in control birds fed non-parasitized fish. This is the first experimental confirmation of the D. spathans life cycle, resolving previously unknown developmental time lines. In addition, the effects of fixation on adult trematode morphology were assessed, clarifying reports of pronounced morphological plasticity for D. spathans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neely R Alberson
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, 240 Wise Center Drive, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762
| | - Thomas G Rosser
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, 240 Wise Center Drive, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762
| | - D Tommy King
- Mississippi Field Station, National Wildlife Research Center, Wildlife Services, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762
| | - Ethan T Woodyard
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, 240 Wise Center Drive, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762
| | - Lester H Khoo
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, 240 Wise Center Drive, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762.,Thad Cochran National Warmwater Aquaculture Center, Delta Research and Extension Center, Mississippi State University, Stoneville, Mississippi 38776
| | - Wes A Baumgartner
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, 240 Wise Center Drive, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762
| | - David J Wise
- Thad Cochran National Warmwater Aquaculture Center, Delta Research and Extension Center, Mississippi State University, Stoneville, Mississippi 38776
| | - Linda M Pote
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, 240 Wise Center Drive, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762
| | - Fred L Cunningham
- Mississippi Field Station, National Wildlife Research Center, Wildlife Services, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762
| | - Matt J Griffin
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, 240 Wise Center Drive, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762.,Thad Cochran National Warmwater Aquaculture Center, Delta Research and Extension Center, Mississippi State University, Stoneville, Mississippi 38776
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Multilocus phylogenetic analysis and morphological data reveal a new species composition of the genus Drepanocephalus Dietz, 1909 (Digenea: Echinostomatidae), parasites of fish-eating birds in the Americas. J Helminthol 2017; 92:572-595. [DOI: 10.1017/s0022149x17000815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
AbstractMembers of the genus Drepanocephalus are endoparasites of fish-eating birds of the families Phalacrocoracidae and Sulidae distributed across the Americas. Currently, Drepanocephalus contains three species, i.e. D. spathans (type species), D. olivaceus and D. auritus. Two additional species, D. parvicephalus and D. mexicanus were transferred to the genus Petasiger. In the current study, available DNA sequences of D. spathans, D. auritus and Drepanocephalus sp., were aligned with newly generated sequences of D. spathans and Petasiger mexicanus. Phylogenetic analyses inferred with three nuclear (LSU, SSU and ITS1, 5.8S, ITS2) and two mitochondrial (cox1, nad1) molecular markers showed that the sequences of D. spathans and D. auritus are nested together in a single clade with very low genetic divergence, with Petasiger mexicanus as its sister species. Additionally, P. mexicanus was not a close relative of other members of the genus Petasiger, showing that P. mexicanus actually belongs to the genus Drepanocephalus, suggesting the need to re-allocate Petasiger mexicanus back into the genus Drepanocephalus, as D. mexicanus. Morphological observations of the newly sampled individuals of D. spathans showed that the position of the testes is variable and testes might be contiguous or widely separated, which is one of the main diagnostic traits for D. auritus. Our results suggest that D. auritus might be considered a synonym of D. spathans and, as a result, the latter represents a species with a wide geographic range across the Americas, parasitizing both the Neotropical and the double-crested cormorant in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico, USA and Canada.
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Alberson NR, Rosser TG, Buddenborg SK, Khoo LH, Loker ES, Richardson TD, Woodyard ET, Wise DJ, Pote LM, Griffin MJ. North and South American Haplotypes ofDrepanocephalus auritus(Digenea: Echinostomatidae) Are Released fromBiomphalaria havanensis(Mollusca: Planorbidae) Inhabiting Catfish Aquaculture Ponds in Mississippi, U.S.A. COMP PARASITOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1654/1525-2647-84.2.87] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Neely R. Alberson
- Department of Basic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, 240 Wise Center Drive, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762, U.S.A. (e-mail: )
| | - Thomas G. Rosser
- Department of Basic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, 240 Wise Center Drive, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762, U.S.A. (e-mail: )
| | - Sarah K. Buddenborg
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 81731, U.S.A.
| | - Lester H. Khoo
- Thad Cochran National Warmwater Aquaculture Center, Mississippi State University, 127 Experiment Station Road, Stoneville, Mississippi 38776, U.S.A.
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, 240 Wise Center Drive, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762, U.S.A
| | - Eric S. Loker
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 81731, U.S.A.
| | - Terry D. Richardson
- Department of Biology, University of North Alabama, 459 North Court Street, Florence, Alabama 35632, U.S.A.
| | - Ethan T. Woodyard
- Department of Basic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, 240 Wise Center Drive, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762, U.S.A. (e-mail: )
| | - David J. Wise
- Thad Cochran National Warmwater Aquaculture Center, Mississippi State University, 127 Experiment Station Road, Stoneville, Mississippi 38776, U.S.A.
| | - Linda M. Pote
- Department of Basic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, 240 Wise Center Drive, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762, U.S.A. (e-mail: )
| | - Matt J. Griffin
- Thad Cochran National Warmwater Aquaculture Center, Mississippi State University, 127 Experiment Station Road, Stoneville, Mississippi 38776, U.S.A.
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, 240 Wise Center Drive, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762, U.S.A
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The influence of geographical location, host maturity and sex on intestinal helminth communities of the double-crested cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus from the eastern United States. J Helminthol 2016; 91:561-568. [PMID: 27677375 DOI: 10.1017/s0022149x16000675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Here the intestinal helminth infracommunities of 218 double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) from 11 locations in Alabama, Minnesota, Mississippi and Vermont are documented. Trematode infections were present in 98% of hosts; 65% of cormorants carried cestode infections, 4% were infected with acanthocephalans and 66% had nematode intestinal parasites. Parasite infracommunities of hosts collected on wintering grounds had higher richness and diversity than did birds collected on breeding grounds. Differences in parasite richness and diversity between male and female P. auritus were also detected, but not between immature and mature bird hosts. Parasite intensity did not differ by sex, maturity, or between breeding and wintering season. The most common parasite was Drepanocephalus auritus (spathans), which is recognized as a disease agent that negatively impacts the catfish aquaculture industry in the US. Echinochasmus sp. in double-crested cormorants is documented for the first time in the United States. We suggest that the differences observed among parasite infracommunities could be associated with the foraging distances travelled by P. auritus during breeding and wintering seasons, which is limited by allocation of parental care during the breeding season.
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Pinto HA, Griffin MJ, Quiniou SM, Ware C, Melo AL. Biomphalaria straminea (Mollusca: Planorbidae) as an intermediate host of Drepanocephalus spp. (Trematoda: Echinostomatidae) in Brazil: a morphological and molecular study. Parasitol Res 2015; 115:51-62. [PMID: 25982569 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-015-4469-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2014] [Accepted: 04/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Species of trematodes belonging to the genus Drepanocephalus are intestinal parasites of piscivorous birds, primarily cormorants (Phalachrocorax spp.), and are widely reported in the Americas. During a 4-year malacological study conducted on an urban lake in Brazil, 27-collar-spined echinostome cercariae were found in 1665/15,459 (10.7 %) specimens of Biomphalaria straminea collected. The cercariae were identified as Drepanocephalus spp. by sequencing the 18S (SSU) rDNA, ITS1/5.8S rDNA/ITS2 (ITS), 28S (LSU) rDNA region, cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (CO1), and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase subunit 1 (ND1) markers. In experimental life cycle studies, metacercariae developed in laboratory-reared guppies (Poecilia reticulata); however, attempts to infect birds and rodents were unsuccessful. Two closely related morphotypes of cercariae were characterized. One species, identified by molecular markers as a genetic variant of Drepanocephalus auritus (99.9 % similarity at SSU, ITS, LSU; 97.2 % at CO1; 95.8 % at ND1), differs slightly from an archived North American isolate of this species also sequenced as part of this study. A second species, putatively identified as Drepanocephalus sp., has smaller cercariae and demonstrates significant differences from D. auritus at the CO1 (11.0 %) and ND1 (13.6 %) markers. Aspects related to the morphological taxonomic identification of 27-collar-spined echinostome metacercariae are briefly discussed. This is the first report of the involvement of molluscs of the genus Biomphalaria in the transmission of Drepanocephalus and the first report of D. auritus in South America.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hudson A Pinto
- Laboratório de Taxonomia e Biologia de Invertebrados, Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, C.P. 486, 30123-970.
| | - Matt J Griffin
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Stoneville, MS, 38776, USA
| | - Sylvie M Quiniou
- Warmwater Aquaculture Research Unit, Thad Cochran National Warmwater Aquaculture Center, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Stoneville, Stoneville, MS, 38776, USA
| | - Cynthia Ware
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Stoneville, MS, 38776, USA
| | - Alan L Melo
- Laboratório de Taxonomia e Biologia de Invertebrados, Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, C.P. 486, 30123-970
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A new species of Drepanocephalus Dietz, 1909 (Digenea: Echinostomatidae) from the double-crested cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus (Lesson) (Aves: Phalacrocoracidae) in North America. Syst Parasitol 2015; 90:221-30. [PMID: 25693456 DOI: 10.1007/s11230-015-9550-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2014] [Accepted: 01/15/2015] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Drepanocephalus auritus n. sp. is described based on specimens from the double-crested cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus (Lesson) in North America. The new species differs from its congeners in its very narrow, elongate body, long uterine field and widely separated testes. Sequences of the nuclear rRNA gene cluster, spanning the 3' end of the nuclear ribosomal 18S rRNA gene, internal transcribed spacer region (ITS1+5.8S gene+ITS2) and partial 28S gene (2,345 bp), were identical in specimens collected from North Dakota, Minnesota and Mississippi, USA. Sequences of the 651 bp long fragment of the mitochondrial cox1 gene exhibited very low intraspecific variability (< 1%). Comparisons of the newly-generated sequences with those available in the GenBank indicate that the sequences from North America published under the name D. spathans Dietz, 1909 in fact represent D. auritus n. sp.
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Griffin MJ, Khoo LH, Steadman JM, Ware C, Quiniou SM, Mischke CC, Greenway TE, Wise DJ. Chronic pathology and longevity of Drepanocephalus spathans infections in juvenile Channel Catfish. JOURNAL OF AQUATIC ANIMAL HEALTH 2014; 26:210-218. [PMID: 25250624 DOI: 10.1080/08997659.2014.938869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Drepanocephalus spathans (Digenea: Echinostomatidae) is a common parasite of the double-crested cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus. The cercariae of D. spathans have been shown infective to juvenile Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus. The developing metacercariae concentrate in the cranial regions, often occluding blood vessels at the base of the branchial arch, occasionally resulting in death. The purpose of this study was to determine how long metacercariae of D. spathans persist in experimentally challenged Channel Catfish. Two separate infectivity trials were conducted. In both trials, metacercariae persisted at least 49 d postinfection, although prevalence and intensity of infection decreased over time. In the first trial, juvenile catfish (1-3 g) were exposed over three consecutive days to 100, 100, and 80 cercariae/fish/d, respectively. Fish were sampled 7 d after the final exposure, and metacercariae were observed in 83.3% (five of six) of challenged fish. At 21 d postexposure, metacercariae were present in only 50% of exposed fish (three of six). No metacercaria were observed in fish sampled at 35 d, however, metacercariae were present in one of six (16.7%) fish sampled 49 and 70 d postexposure, respectively. A second challenge consisted of a 24-h pooled exposure of 500 cercariae per fish. Again, metacercariae were present in most (six of seven; 85.7%) fish at 7 d postexposure. At 21 d postexposure, metacercariae were only evident in one of seven (14.3%) sampled fish. No metacercariae were present in any fish at 35 d postchallenge, yet one of seven (14.3%) fish was positive at 49 d postchallenge. The second study was terminated at 63 d postchallenge, as all fish sampled (n = 14) were negative for metacercariae. These data suggest that cercariae of D. spathans are infective to juvenile Channel Catfish, although the infection appears short lived as metacercariae rarely persisted longer than 2 months.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matt J Griffin
- a Thad Cochran National Warmwater Aquaculture Center, Aquatic Research and Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Post Office Box 197 , Stoneville , Mississippi 38776 , USA
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